Our erstwhile evening news editor has the evening off. Yes, we do let him out from behind his computer for fresh sir. 😉
1. Egypt’s Military Dissolves Parliament; Calls for Vote
by Anthony Shadid and J. David Goodman
CAIRO – The Egyptian military consolidated its control Sunday over what it has called a democratic transition from three decades of President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian rule, dissolving the country’s feeble parliament, suspending the constitution and calling for elections in six months in sweeping steps that echoed protesters’ demands.
CAIRO – The Egyptian military consolidated its control Sunday over what it has called a democratic transition from three decades of President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian rule, dissolving the country’s feeble parliament, suspending the constitution and calling for elections in six months in sweeping steps that echoed protesters’ demands.
2. Silvio Berlusconi the focus of day of protests by Italian women
by John Hooper
Thousands join marches for respect and values in country with gender gap worse than Kazakhstan’s
On Sunday, Italians dismayed by the prime minister and his antics got a chance to show their feelings in a way that even his television network will find difficult to ignore. Thousands of them assembled in piazzas from the foothills of the Alps to the tip of Sicily and in cities from Auckland to Zurich.
“We’re more than a million across the world,” the actor Angela Finocchiaro told the crowd in the Piazza del Popolo. And though that claim may be disputed, there was plenty of evidence to suggest the numbers ran to several hundreds of thousands.
3. Clashes in Algeria as opposition plans new protest
by Beatrice Khadige
ALGIERS (AFP) – Hundreds of stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police in the eastern Algerian city of Annaba on Sunday, as the opposition announced another major anti-government rally next weekend.
The next anti-government rally will be held February 19, said Mustepha Bouchahi of National Coordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD), an umbrella group of opposition parties, civil society movements and unofficial unions.
4. Sudanese women hold vigil for detained protesters
by Reuters
More than 20 women gather in Khartoum to call for the release of men arrested during protests inspired by Egyptian uprising
Women held a vigil outside Sudan’s security service headquarters in Khartoum, calling for the release of men arrested during a series of protests inspired by Egypt’s uprising.
In another part of the Sudanese capital, security officers prevented journalists from gathering to take part in a protest against the arrest of colleagues, a Reuters witness said. Officers detained five TV cameramen and photographers trying to cover the event.
5. Iran opposition to hold demonstrations despite government warnings
by Saeed Kamali Dehghan
Regime accused of double standards after supporting uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia but trying to prevent protests in Tehran
Activists in Iran will go ahead with a banned rally in central Tehran on Monday in defiance of warnings by the regime and a heavy security presence, a figure in the green movement has told the Guardian.
Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, a spokesman for the former presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, accused the government of hypocrisy in voicing support for protesters in Egypt and Tunisia while refusing to allow a peaceful demonstration.
6. Italy appeals for EU aid as migrants flee Tunisia
LAMPEDUSA, Italy (AFP) – Tunisian immigrants clinging to small fishing boats landed in Italy on Sunday, as the Italian government appealed for EU aid and said it wanted to deploy its security forces in Tunisia.
Hundreds arrived on the island of Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost point, bringing to more than 5,000 the total number of undocumented immigrants intercepted by coast guards and brought to the tiny outcrop.
7. Abbas’ cabinet to resign on Monday: sources
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – The Palestinian cabinet will tender resignations Monday after which Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will select new ministers at the request of President Mahmoud Abbas, political sources said.
The shake-up, disclosed to Reuters Sunday, was long demanded by Fayyad and some in Abbas’s Fatah faction. It follows the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to a popular revolt that has set off reform calls throughout the Arab world.
8. Algeria opposition says to hold weekly rallies
ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian opposition groups said on Sunday they would follow up the protest they held this weekend by calling a demonstration in the capital every Saturday until the government is changed.
Several hundred protesters, inspired by revolts which overthrew entrenched leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, defied a police ban and protested in Algiers on Saturday. But thousands of riot police blocked a planned march through the city.
9. Death toll rises to 48 in Iraq suicide bombing
SAMARRA, Iraq (Reuters) – The toll from a suicide bombing that targeted Shi’ite pilgrims near the city of Samarra, one of Iraq’s worst in recent weeks, rose to 48 dead and 80 wounded, police and officials said on Sunday.
The bomber detonated an explosives vest on Saturday at a bus depot at the entry to Samarra, where Shi’ites gathered last week to commemorate the death of one of their 12 revered imams.
10. Maltese bulk carrier believed seized by pirates
LONDON (Reuters) – Pirates are believed to have seized a Maltese owned and registered bulk carrier with a crew of 23 in the North Arabian Sea, the European Union anti-piracy force said Sunday.
11. Maliki fills power, trade, other Iraq cabinet jobs
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s parliament approved eight new ministers on Sunday but Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has yet to decide who will hold sensitive security posts in the cabinet such as defense and interior.
12. Tunisian foreign minister resigns: report
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ounaiss has resigned, the state news agency reported Sunday, a week after he became embroiled in a row over compliments he paid to his French opposite number.
The resignation is likely to cause new disruption to a coalition government which has already seen several ministers resign or be fired since it stepped in to fill the vacuum left by last month’s overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
13. Venezuela’s Chavez mocks foes’ Egypt comparisons
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez scoffed on Sunday at commentary by critics that his 12-year rule was at risk of a people’s uprising like that which toppled Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak after three decades in power.
“I laugh when some clever analysts from the Venezuelan opposition try to compare my government with that of ex-president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt,” Chavez said during his regular weekly “Hello, President!” program.
14. Ireland’s opposition leader to meet Merkel on Monday
By Kate Holton
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The leader of Ireland’s main opposition party, Fine Gael, will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to explain how the likely next government intends to get its economy back in shape.
Enda Kenny and his Fine Gael party, ahead in the polls ahead of a February 25 election, said he would take the opportunity to brief Merkel on the Irish economic situation ahead of two European Council meetings designed to tackle the debt crisis.
15. Iran names attacked scientist nuclear chief: report
TEHRAN (Reuters) – An Iranian nuclear scientist who survived an assassination attempt last November has been appointed Iran’s new nuclear chief, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.
Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani was slightly wounded by one of two bomb attacks on November 29. The other attack killed another nuclear scientist. Tehran said the double-bombing was an Israeli operation aimed at harming its nuclear programme.
16. Thai “reds,” “yellows” rally on Bangkok’s streets
By Manunphattr Dhanananphorn Manunphattr
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thousands of Thais held color-coded “red” and “yellow” protests in Bangkok on Sunday, underlining persistent anti-government sentiment and deep political divisions ahead of an election planned this year.
The “red shirts” called for the release of 18 of their detained leaders and their rival “yellow shirts” demanded Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s resignation over his handling of a long-running border dispute with Cambodia.
17. Bangladesh investors and police clash over stocks slide
By Serajul Islam Quadir
DHAKA (Reuters) – Hundreds of Bangladeshi small investors, angry at a new plunge in share prices, set fire to tires and pelted police with bricks on Sunday outside the stock exchange and demanded the resignation of the finance minister.
Police with batons dispersed the protesters in pitched battles that snarled traffic for hours
18. “Tragic end” for Suu Kyi unless change: commentary
By Aung Hla Tun Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party will “meet their tragic end” if they stick to their position including support for Western sanctions, state media said on Sunday.
19. Nigeria presidential rally ends in deadly stampede
By Austin Ekeinde and Samuel Tife
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least 11 people were trampled to death on Saturday in a stampede at an election campaign rally for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt.
20. Need quick entry into Texas Capitol? Just get a gun permit
By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Tex. (Reuters) – Security is newly tightened at the Texas Capitol, but plenty of gun-toting visitors can breeze right through.
Concealed handgun license holders walk through a special lane marked “CHL Access” around, and not through, the metal detectors put in place last year after a man fired shots outside the statehouse.
21. Fire guts 16 buildings on Washington Indian reservation
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Firefighters on Sunday were putting out hot spots from a fierce, wind-whipped blaze that gutted 16 buildings on the Yakama Indian reservation southeast of Seattle and forced some 50 residents from their homes.
Two firefighters sustained minor injuries battling the blaze, which began Saturday afternoon when embers from a chimney fire ignited a rooftop and surrounding brush before spreading through the town of White Swan, fire officials said.
22. Man jailed after filming himself driving 140 mph
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – A man who filmed the speedometer of his car while driving more than 140 miles per hour so he could post it on YouTube, ended up in jail on Saturday and the video confiscated, police said.
Stanislav Vadimovich Bakanov was pulled over by police on Oregon Interstate 5 after he was clocked driving his black 2005 BMW at 118 mph. He filmed Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Postlewait as he approached the car.
23. Mississippi plan for KKK leader license plate criticized
BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) – A Mississippi proposal to issue a state license plate honoring a Confederate general believed to be a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan has stirred protest and resurrected the state’s ugly racial past.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans proposed that Mississippi issue a specialty plate honoring General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who many historians say was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group that terrorized blacks in the South after the Civil War.
24. Taxi plows into San Diego crowd injuring 25 people
By Marty Graham
SAN DIEGO, California (Reuters) – A Taxi cab plowed into a crowd of people on a downtown San Diego sidewalk after they left a bar early Saturday morning, injuring 25 people, seven of them critically, authorities said.
Among the critically injured was a woman whose leg was severed when the cab crushed her against the building, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said.
25. Police suspect silicone clogged lungs in injection death
By Barbara Goldberg
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Philadelphia police suspect a London woman who died after a botched buttocks enhancement may have been killed when a fumbled injection filled her lung with silicone and caused a fatal embolism.
Authorities were seeking to question a local singer who may have injected Claudia Aderotimi, 20, who died after the illegal procedure at a Hampton Inn near the Philadelphia International Airport earlier this week.
26. New York police arrest suspected serial stabber
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Police on Saturday arrested near Times Square a man suspected of stabbing three people to death, then striking a pedestrian with his car and killing him, and wounding four others in an overnight rampage.
Maksim Gelman, 23, of Brooklyn was being hunted by police in connection with the fatal stabbing on Friday of his stepfather Aleksandr Kuznetsov, his former girlfriend Yelena Bulchenko and her mother Anna Bulchenko in the Russian immigrant community of Sheepshead Bay.
27. Climate change keenly felt in Alaska’s national parks
By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Thawing permafrost is triggering mudslides onto a key road traveled by busloads of sightseers. Tall bushes newly sprouted on the tundra are blocking panoramic views. And glaciers are receding from convenient viewing areas, while their rapid summer melt poses new flood risks.
28. Laughing gas returning as option for laboring moms
By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. – Labor pain is nothing to laugh at. Yet.
The use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, during childbirth fell out of favor in the United States decades ago, and just two hospitals – one in San Francisco and one in Seattle – still offer it. But interest in returning the dentist office staple to the delivery room is growing: respected hospitals including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center plan to start offering it, the federal government is reviewing it, and after a long hiatus, the equipment needed to administer it is expected to hit the market soon.
29. Sandler, Aniston barely beat Bieber at box office
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie
LOS ANGELES – Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are America’s box-office sweethearts, but Justin Bieber is the valentine for teens.
The Valentine’s Day weekend was a close one as Sandler and Aniston’s romantic comedy, “Just Go With It,” debuted with $31 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
30. Short on men, retirement home hires dance partners
By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Hewitt Bruce extends his hand to a waiting lady pining for a dance – and someone with whom to share it. He twirls and waltzes and makes exacting steps; she has become the woman to envy. And as one song fades to another, he is off again, never far from making his next sweetheart a little less lonely.
The shortage of men at Edgewater Pointe Estates is a perennial fact of life at retirement communities and nursing homes around the country, where women often outnumber men 3-to-1. Forget finding a mate – finding a man to dance with is tough enough.
31. Pipe ‘imperfection’ found after fatal blast in Pa.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Investigators looking into the cause of a gas explosion that killed five people in Allentown, Pa., last week are focusing on an “imperfection” in a pipe near the blast site.
Wednesday night’s explosion flattened a pair of row houses and set fire to a block of homes, killing five people – including a 4-month-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
32. Republicans ready spending battle ahead of president’s budget release
By Rachel Rose Hartman
Republicans this weekend offered the first advance glimpse of the battle they plan to wage once President Obama reveals his budget to Congress.
“He’s going to present a budget tomorrow that will continue to destroy jobs by spending too much, borrowing too much and taxing too much,” House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
33. First lady says laughter is key to togetherness
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Here’s Michelle Obama’s advice for couples this Valentine’s Day: laugh with your partner.
She says it’s what she and President Barack Obama do, and it seems to be working. Their marriage, although tested throughout the years by his political ambitions – for the Illinois Senate, the U.S. Senate and later president – is going on 19 years.
34. Sony takes console war to cellphones
By Tarmo Virki and Georgina Prodhan
BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) – Sony Ericsson unveiled on Sunday its long-awaited PlayStation smartphone, taking video game console wars to cellphones.
Sony’s PlayStation, on the Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia Live phone, will take on Microsoft’s Xbox Live, available on Windows Phone 7.
35. Obama struggles to balance budget cuts, spending
by Andrew Beatty
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama unveils his fiscal 2012 budget Monday, an election year plan forged from conflicting needs to cut spending and stoke the economic recovery.
With vast crisis payments and sharply lower tax revenues making it difficult for the government to balance its books, Obama will set out an austerity plan that will help set the tone for next year’s presidential race.
36. Republicans find tempest in the Tea Party
by Olivier Knox
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Top US Republicans put on a brave face this week after a series of surprise setbacks, some suffered at the hands of their own archconservative political shock troops in the Tea Party.
“We’re in a new era,” House Speaker John Boehner told reporters, shrugging off his woes as the new majority’s growing pains. “That means that the leaders may not get what they want every day.”
37. Flair lights up runways at NY Fashion Week
by Paola Messana
NEW YORK (AFP) – In a world of globalization where any successful clothing design is quickly copied and mass marketed, designers like those starring in New York Fashion Week want that little extra wow to make their mark.
Or, in the case of Prabal Gurung on Saturday, a lot of extra wow.
38. Mullen meets Jordan king
AMMAN (AFP) – King Abdullah II met on Sunday with the top US military commander who is visiting key allies Jordan and Israel to reaffirm Washington’s support following the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.
The king and US Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen “discussed bilateral cooperation and a number of issues of common concern,” a brief palace statement said without elaborating.
39. Apple developing smaller, cheaper iPhones: report
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Apple is developing a new lines of smaller and cheaper iPhones and overhauling its software to facilitate users’ access to entertainment, photos and video, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.WASHINGTON (AFP) – Apple is developing a new lines of smaller and cheaper iPhones and overhauling its software to facilitate users’ access to entertainment, photos and video, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
40. News on first Nokia Windows Phone within days
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – The target release date of the first Nokia smartphone to use Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system could be set within days, with the company aiming to have it on the market this year, senior executives said Sunday.
41. EU, IMF seek to repair Greek rift over asset sale
by John Hadoulis
ATHENS (AFP) – The EU and IMF on Sunday hastened to prevent a rift with Greece after the debt-hit country slammed one of their auditors over controversial calls for a huge state asset sale to keep Athens’ tortuous recovery on track.
42. Russia’s VTB bank sale to reap $3.25 billion: report
MOSCOW (AFP) – Russia will sell a 10 percent stake in its second-biggest lender, state-owned VTB bank, at a price of $6.25 per Global Depositary Receipt (GDR), the RIA Novosti news agency reported Sunday.
“The price is close to the market one and consisted of $6.25 per GDR,” the agency cited a source close to the deal as saying after the books closed on Friday. An official announcement will be made on Monday.
43. Kenya sees rise in elephant population despite poaching
TSAVO NATIONAL PARK, Kenya (AFP) – Despite increased poaching and a recent severe drought, Kenya has recorded a rise in elephant population in its flagship park, wildlife authorities announced Saturday.
44. Greenpeace urges west Africa to protect fish stocks
DAKAR (AFP) – Conservation organisation Greenpeace on Friday urged west African countries to combat illegal fishing and over-fishing in their waters, in a statement released at the World Social Forum in Senegal.
45. Aussie crocs ‘traumatised’ by cyclone
SYDNEY (AFP) – A group of ferocious Australian crocodiles were so traumatised by a maximum-strength cyclone last week that they hid under water and stopped eating, wildlife park officials said Friday.
46. Readers, bloggers sound off on Huff Post sale
by Chris Lefkow
WASHINGTON (AFP) – When The Huffington Post was sold to AOL last Monday for $315 million, its founder, Arianna Huffington, was feted as a new media pioneer. Not everyone is celebrating, however
.
47. US Internet censorship fight falling short: report
by Chris Lefkow
WASHINGTON (AFP) – State Department efforts to combat Internet censorship in China and other countries have fallen short and funding for the drive should be shifted to another US agency, a Senate committee report says.
48. Eminem looks to win elusive album of year Grammy
by Nekesa Mumbi Moody
LOS ANGELES – With his 10 nominations, Eminem has the potential to sweep Sunday night’s Grammy Awards – as well as win that elusive album of the year trophy, a category for which he’s had three nominations but never a win.
49. ‘King’s Speech’ big winner at British film awards
by Jill Lawless
LONDON – Royal drama “The King’s Speech” was crowned the big winner at Britain’s top film awards – a sign that it may reign again at Hollywood’s Academy Awards in two weeks’ time.
50. NY cites ‘Spider-Man’ producers for safety lapses
By MARK KENNEDY, AP Drama Writer Mark Kennedy, Ap Drama Writer – 32 mins ago
NEW YORK – New York state labor officials have issued two safety violations to the producers of the Broadway musical ‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark.’
A state official confirmed Sunday that the citations were issued for a trio of accidents that injured performers.
I’m you substitute host for tonight’s Prime Time. So for this Sunday evening we are going to do something a little different and present a Grammy Awards Open Thread.
On this day in 1633, Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician 
This is a series of diaries focused on the 
The disease is not usually fatal but the wound where the worm emerges could develop a secondary bacterial infection such as tetanus, which may be life-threatening, especially in endemic areas where access to medicine is very limited or nonexistent. Analgesics can be used to help reduce swelling and pain and antibiotic ointments can help prevent secondary infections at the wound site. The use of amebicide, antiprotozoa, fungicide or parasiticide are not recommended since it may lead to migration to other parts of the body. Other complications besides wound infection are stiff joints, arthritis and even permanent debilitating contractures of the limbs.
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